腦 meaning and stroke order
Brain
How to write 腦, stroke by stroke
13 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
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- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
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- 13
Meaning of 腦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- brain
- mind
- head
- essence
How 腦 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. An organ ⺼ in the skull 囟.
Radical: ⺼ (meat), shared by 176 characters on this site.
How to remember 腦
On the left is ⺼, the flesh radical used for body parts. On the right, 囟 is the skull with hair 巛 on top, so 腦 (nǎo) is the organ of flesh sitting inside the skull: the brain.
腦 is the traditional form of 脑 and appears in words about the brain, the mind, and thinking, as well as in 電腦 (diànnǎo, computer). It also means "head" in casual words like 腦袋 (nǎodai). Example: 我的電腦壞了。(Wǒ de diànnǎo huài le.) My computer is broken.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 腦 with 惱 (nǎo, annoyed), which has the same right side and the same pronunciation but uses the heart radical 忄 instead of ⺼. Use ⺼ when you mean the brain and 忄 when you mean an emotion.
Common words with 腦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 電腦 | diànnǎo | computer | HSK 1 |
| 頭腦 | tóunǎo | brains; mind | HSK 3 |
| 腦袋 | nǎodai | head; skull | HSK 4 |
| 大腦 | dànǎo | brain; cerebrum | HSK 5 |
| 腦子 | nǎozi | brains; mind | HSK 5 |
| 首腦 | shǒunǎo | head (of state); summit (meeting) | HSK 6 |
| 腦海 | nǎohǎi | the mind; the brain | HSK 7-9 |
| 腦筋 | nǎojīn | brains; mind | HSK 7-9 |
| 傷腦筋 | shāng nǎojīn | to be a real headache; to find sth a real headache | HSK 7-9 |
| 洗腦 | xǐnǎo | to brainwash | |
| 腦後 | nǎohòu | the back of the head; (fig.) the back of one's mind | |
| 腦震盪 | nǎozhèndàng | (med.) cerebral concussion | |
| 腦殘 | nǎocán | moronic; brainless | |
| 腦漿 | nǎojiāng | brains |
Questions about 腦
How many strokes are in 腦?
腦 is written with 13 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 腦 mean?
腦 (nǎo) means brain. A common word with it is 电脑 (diànnǎo), meaning "computer".
How do you pronounce 腦?
腦 is pronounced nǎo, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 腦?
The radical of 腦 is ⺼, which carries the idea of "meat". Dictionaries list 腦 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 腦?
腦 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 脑, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does the word for computer contain 腦?
電腦 (diànnǎo) literally means "electric brain." The name compares a computer to a brain that runs on electricity, and it is the everyday word for computer.
What is the difference between 腦子 and 腦袋?
腦子 (nǎozi) usually refers to the brain or someone's mind and intelligence, as in 動腦子 (dòng nǎozi, use your head). 腦袋 (nǎodai) usually means the physical head, though in casual speech it can also mean brains.